Gauntlet IV

• Title — Gauntlet IV • Developer — M2 • Publisher — Tengen • Platforms — Sega Genesis • Designer — Masatoshi Kawasaki • Programmer — Tetsuya Abe • Artist — Masatoshi Kawasaki Makoto Asao Naoki Horii • Writer — Gorou Sumiyoshi • Composer — * Hitoshi Sakimoto • Masaharu Iwata • Genre — Action • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer

Gauntlet IV features four different modes with different game play styles: "Arcade mode", a port of the original arcade game, has up to four players exploring a sequence of dungeons shooting at masses of enemies with projectile weapons, collecting keys to open locked doors and finding potions that wipe out all enemies onscreen. The players health decreases constantly as the game progresses and has to be replenished by collecting food items and each stage often has multiple exits which send you to different levels. "Quest mode" is the main feature of the game, and is set in all new dungeons with new bosses to fight against and which combines the game play of the original game with new RPG elements such as character-leveling and item purchasing as well as featuring the ability to save game progress. "Battle mode" is a deathmatch game, which has the players fighting against each other in arenas. The arenas include hidden power-ups that increase the players' attributes for that match and within this mode the projectile weapons bounce around the screen and can be used to force opponents into the exits to cause a "ring out" "Record mode" is a single-player only variant of arcade mode in which progress is kept track via a password.

Gauntlet IV began as a port of the original Gauntlet for the X68000 as a project by a group of friends in Japan who would later form the development studio M2. It was picked up by Atari Games, the makers of the original game, and used instead as the basis for a sequel for the Genesis published by Tengen, their home-publishing imprint. The game's soundtrack was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata.